BB News No. 131 dtd 31 Aug 2004

THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 131 DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (Our 9th Year-20 Pages/4 Email Sections Issued monthly by G. J. Berghold) August 31, 2004 (c) 2004 G. J. Berghold - all rights reserved) ** OUR WEB PAGES CAN BE REACHED BY CLICKING ON THE APPROPRIATE TITLE SHOWN ON EACH WEB PAGE. FOR INSTANCE TO GO FROM THE MEMBERSHIP LIST TO THE VILLAGE LIST JUST CLICK ON VILLAGES OR VICE VERSA. ** RECIPIENTS PLEASE READ: You are receiving this email because you are a BB member or have asked to be added to our distribution list. To discontinue these newsletters, email with message "remove". ("Cancel" will cancel membership, website listings and mail.) Send address and listing changes to the same place. Sign email with your full name and include BB in the subject line. Send no attachments or graphics unless well known to me. Please keep changes to a minimum. To join the BB, see our homepage. If you join, your email address will be available from our websites. We can't help with non-Burgenland family history. Appropriate comments and articles are appreciated. Staff and web site addresses are listed at the end of newsletter section "C". Notes and articles without a by-line are written by the editor and reflect his views. Members please exchange data in a courteous and cooperative manner-not to do so defeats the purpose of our organization. This first section of our 4-section newsletter concerns: 1. Airlines As Bad As Immigrant Steamships? 2. More On Value Of The Gulden 3. Even More Concerning The Gulden 4. Canadian Descendant Heard From 5. Records Of Paternity & Support 6. Village Of Glashütten 1. AIRLINES AS BAD AS IMMIGRANT STEAMSHIPS? We've made many international trips by air. Our last was undoubtedly the worst. We flew from Dulles to Toronto in a little over an hour and a half, but the trip to and from the airports plus departure check-in and security and Toronto Immigration and Customs, added another 7 hours to the trip. The long lines winding all over the air terminals must be experienced to be believed. The trip home, Vancouver to Washington, DC, via Toronto was even worse. Up at 5 AM for a 9 AM flight, which left 1 1/2 hours late, arriving in Toronto too late to make our connection to Dulles. We then were rebooked. When I raised enough fuss, we were put on a plane to Washington International as opposed to Dulles - a $170 cab fare resulted. US security and customs in Toronto required two hours and baggage pick-up, since US bureaucrats in their infinite wisdom decided this would relieve the Washington burden. Most travelers, connecting to other flights, now miss them as a result. In all it took almost 24 hours to get home - a hard journey for a couple in their seventies. I wish we could have returned by train. I can't help comparing this awful transportation to pleasant ship or riverboat transport. I haven't mentioned being cramped in the usual airline seat, too small even for my 5 foot 6 inch frame, jostling for space with my immediate neighbors! Of course, for just another thousand or so, I could buy a business (first) class ticket and get a little more room! Perhaps our early immigrants were lucky in that they couldn't fly across the Atlantic! Will we soon see travel gridlock? Perhaps we'll have a return to comfortable train service and Cunard and Hapag ocean liners for overseas passenger service. I for one am fed up with air travel. Faster yes, but every bit as traumatic as an ocean voyage in steerage class. Air Canada and Grand Circle Travel, please copy. 2. MORE ON VALUE OF THE GULDEN (from long-time BB member Ernest Chrisbacher) (ED. Note: Those of us who wish to go beyond a pedigree and understand the lives of our ancestors are hampered by values and lifestyles that differ greatly from our time to theirs. A comparison of the value of money, as found then and now, is one assist to such understanding. The following continues the question of the value of the Gulden or Florin [our ancestors' coinage] - also see the next article by Meir Deutsch - taken together, these are excellent explanations.) Ernest writes: I did a study recently on the estimated value of the Gulden for inclusion in my forthcoming book on the German Immigrants from Veszprem County, Hungary. Without including all of the statistical data, the following summarizes my analysis. It is based mostly on the valuations of products and work in the excellent study by Dr. Otto Péterdi-Hahn: /Die landwirtschaftliche Lage eines Fronbauern um 1800 im deutschen Dorf/ /Bakonypéterd in Ungarn/, Verlag des Südostdeutschen Kulturwerks, Munich, 1970. *By my findings, the value of the correspondent's 23,000 Gulden would be about $3,500,000 to $4,600,000 (one gulden equal to $152-$200). Present Value Considering all of the information and comparisons herein presented, it remains very difficult for modern Americans living in the beginning of the twenty-first century to relate their circumstances to those of the German peasants who lived in Veszprém County during the late eighteenth century. The common practice of equating the present cost of a loaf of bread to its cost at some time in the past, in order to estimate the monetary inflation that took place over the intervening years, does not serve to elucidate the question pertaining to the different standards of living between ourselves and our ancestors of 220 years ago. This is true for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that there is little resemblance between our loaf of bread and the one served by our forebears two centuries ago; the former being generally a light, less-than-wholesome, one-pound loaf made from refined flour; the latter being a nutritious, substantial, three to five-pound loaf, a necessary food staple. Today we have available such a large quantity and variety of foodstuff that one could be perfectly happy and healthy without ever partaking of bread. But indeed it would be interesting, informative and helpful to our understanding if we could place an approximate value in current dollars on the Gulden of the year 1780. There are two apparent ways that rough approximations may be made. First, taking the entire list of common staple products, and evaluating them in terms of today's dollar costs, then calculating the average ratio of the cost in Guldens to the cost in dollars to obtain the worth of the Gulden in today's dollars. Second, while the farmer was relatively well-off then, the farmer's helper who earned 60 Gulden annually owned nothing and lived near subsistence level, not much removed from poverty. Our American government now defines the poverty level for a family of four at $12,000 in annual income. Equating these two circumstances and incomes, results in the valuation of the Gulden at $12,000 divided by 60, or $200. Interestingly, the first method, involving the average values of staple products, results in the Gulden having a present value of $215. What can we make of all this? How meaningful would the figures be considering the economic differences between the two vastly different ways of life? Today we rely upon big business, services, production and cash: while our ancestors relied upon labor and barter. Perhaps a reasonable conclusion would be to set a range of values for the Gulden of the year 1780 in the rural farm economy of Hungary. From what we have seen, a value of $150 to $200 in today's dollars might be realistic considering the inherent inaccuracies and stretched assumptions of our methods. Using those figures, the extrapolated annual wages of our predecessors would be equal in present dollars to the following: Cabinet Maker: $45,000 to $60,000 Barrel Maker: $52,500 to $70,000 Farmer: $30,000 to $40,000 Farmer's Helper: $9,000 to $12,000 Clerk/Scribe: $25,500 to $34,000 Herdsman: $16,200 to $21,600 Property Manager: $75,000 to $100,000 These figures seem to be within a broad range of reasonableness if we compare them to those of similar workers today, with the understanding that farmers and farmer's helpers of two centuries ago expended essentially no money for their food, transportation and entertainment. I have no objections to your using the entire excerpt as I sent it to you if you feel that it would be informative. There is a lot of information which will be included in my book and which proceeds the part that I sent to you: however, it is too lengthy and includes material on the costs of farm products and the wages of workers. 3. EVEN MORE CONCERNING THE GULDEN (from BB member Meir Deutsch) Re: VALUE OF A GULDEN (Newsletter number 130B) I will not convert the 23,000 fl. but give you an idea of its purchasing power at the beginning of the 19th Century in Austria. Value of a Florin = Gulden. 1 Florin (fl.) = 60 Kreutzer (Kr.) (Just a comparison of the value of money) In 1805 a teacher in Mattersdof, who had to teach all the children that were sent to the school in 2 classes, had a yearly salary of 120 fl. In 1802 - 1 pound of beef 7 Kr. (60 Kreutzer = 1 Florin) - 1 Metzen wheat 6 fl, 30 Kr. (1 Metzen = 62.49 liter) - 1 Metzen barley 5 fl. - 1 Metzen grain 6 fl. In 1788 - 1 Metzen wheat 5 fl, 15 Kr. - 1 Metzen grain 3 fl, 18 Kr. - one sheep in 1795 1 fl.; in 1812, 2 fl. (doubled in price) - one chicken in 1795 6 Kr.; in 1812 6 Kr. (price unchanged) For the 23,000 florins you would get at that time (have no data for 1808) a flock of about 230,000 chickens. 4. CANADIAN DESCENDANT HEARD FROM Theresa (Haisan) Kimak writes: In your newsletter No. 130B - Burgenland Immigration To Canada - you wondered "how many of their descendants have found our website?" I have - I am the daughter of Matthias Haiszan (changed to Haisan when Dad came to Canada) and I was surprised and delighted to see his name in print. After his immigration to Canada and working at various jobs until 1943, Dad settled on a farm about an hour's drive north of Edmonton and my younger brother still farms the same land. Dad kept in contact with Stefan Radostic and Michael Kowacsits and I remember many visits with these gentlemen. All are now deceased. He also spoke fondly of Frau Marinits and I believe he did stay at her rooming house on occasion. Keep up the good work - I enjoy the newsletters immensely!!! 5. RECORDS OF PATERNITY & SUPPORT A reader writes (names have been deleted): I am trying to find out if there is any public accessible record of a paternity and support case between Anna blank and Johann blank (Ipolysag, Hungary) re Franz blank (child born 1922) and any later records concerning these parties. The reason I am asking is that Anna blank is my mother (now deceased). I got your e mail address from a Google search. Thank you, Gertrude blank Austrian editor Fritz Königshofer replies: Dear Gertrude, Gerry Berghold passed on to me your enquiry about Franz blank, born in 1922. Why did your subject line refer to Eisenstadt? Was the birth of Franz there, or was his mother Anna from there? Your e-mail mentioned that the supposed father, Johann blank, was from Ipolyság, which was the capital of Hont County in old Hungary, rather quite a distance away from Eisenstadt. Today, Ipolyság (and old Hont County) are part of the Slovak Republic. The town has the official name Šahy (with an inverted roof on top of the first letter). By the 1920s, normally there was an attempt by the authorities to determine the father of a child born out of wedlock and make him responsible for support payments. Normally, there would be related documents in some office or archive. If the mother was from Eisenstadt or Franz was born there, you should ask the State Archive (Landesarchiv) of Burgenland about the place where "Pflegschaftsakten" of 1922 are kept today. If the location is rather in today's Slovak Republic, you should post your query at related boards, such as http://forums.delphiforums.com/iarelative/start and others. The area of interest of the Burgenland Bunch has very little overlap with research in today's Slovak Republic, and we know very little that could assist you. By 1922, Eisenstadt was officially part of the new state of Burgenland of Austria. This was, of course, still a time of turmoil, therefore we may not be able right now to know about the real reason why the proceedings were held in Eisenstadt. However, the most likely explanation is that the mother had home rights in the town or district of Eisenstadt. In any case, if these were official court proceeding in Eisenstadt, it should be possible, via the civil offices, courts or the state archive in Eisenstadt, to establish whether the court records still exist today and where they are kept. 6. VILLAGE OF GLASHÜTTEN In a message dated 8/9/04 Christina Grundel-Carlsson writes: My name is Christina Grundel-Carlsson from Sweden. I'm born GRUNDEL. I find, searching for "Glashuetten Bohemia Germany," the name: Johann Greiner, 1652 at your website for "The Burg(en)land." I couldn't find any more about it. Can you help me? Reply: There are many "Glashütten" named villages - yours is in the Czech Republic (probably under another Czech name today.) Ours is in the Burgenland of Austria, which is the ninth province of Austria. A "Glashütten" was a village with a glass works - of course Bohemia (now in the Czech Republic) was and is renowned for its glass products. It was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire pre-1918. You should search a Czech Republic website. Addendum: Glashütten (bei Schlaining), Burgenland is in the district of Oberwart, formerly Szalónakhuta in Bezirk Köszeg (Güns), Hungary. Its inhabitants attend the RC church in Lockenhaus and the civil records are in Unterkohlstätten, which now includes Glashütten as part of its Gemeinde. Minerals (quartz, arsenic and copper) were mined here as early as the 16th century and in 1689, according to Batthyány archives, the Batthyány family opened a glass works. It received its present name in 1698. BB Burgenland editor Albert Schuch, in his book "Zur Geschichte des Bergbaus im südlichen Burgenland," devotes five pages to a history of the works. He mentions workers, managers (Alexander Österricher and a family name Ring) (ED. there were Ring families in Allentown. I wonder if they were related?) Published as Burgenländische Forschungen, volume 81, Eisenstadt 2000, this work supplied most of what is mentioned here. Of interest is the fact that the nearby forests supplied many cords of wood to fire the glass furnaces (1250 cords of wood were burned in 1806 as an example) and the immediate area supplied the silica, potash and most of the other ingredients, necessary for production. Some workers indeed came from Bohemia, noted for its glass production. Produced were ordinary glass (window glass sold for 3 florins, 30 kreuzer in 1806), blown glass, bottles, ware for apothecaries and others. Production ceased sometime after 1848. Some early 1800's workers' names were Artman, Bardy/Vardy, Buchsbaum, Ernst, Koller, Kollross, Kreudl, Meier, Mosner, Pratscher, Ring, Spoigl/Speygl, Wilfürth and Zinkl. (ED Note: my apologies to Albert if I've translated something out of context.) Newsletter continues as no. 131A.

THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 131A DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (Our 9th Year-20 Pages/4 Email Sections Issued monthly by G. J. Berghold) August31, 2004 (c) 2004 G. J. Berghold - all rights reserved) "Takes care of his relatives." That was the ultimate compliment for a Navajo. The worst insult was to say he acted like he didn't have any relatives. In Navajo country, families come first. Tony Hillerman in "The Ghostway." This second section of our 4-section newsletter concerns: 1. 2004 Midwest Picnic Report 2. Family History Grants Immortality? 3. Szt Peterfa Marriage Records - 1797-1895 4. In Vegas Steht Ein Hoffbräuhaus 5. Lehigh Valley Ethnic Events - September 6. Perl Family - Königsdorf - A Return Visit 1. 2004 MIDWEST PICNIC REPORT (by Marj Gangl & Hap Anderson) Synopsis of the "Burgenland Bunch Picnic," August 8, 2004. Austria, Austria, beautiful Austria! Many of the Burgenland Bunch have visited the country and relatives. Our annual picnic was held at the Trapp Farm Park in Apple Valley, Minnesota. We had Burgenland, Austrian, heritage people and others attend our picnic from all over! Everyone brought lots of genealogy books full of information and it was shared by all. We are all related if we go back in time far enough. Having attended the annual picnic for several years now, this time as usual, we found several common ancestors as did others in the group. The food as always was great. We were fortunate to have good weather again. The camaraderie is special. Come join us next August! Date, time and place will be in the Burgenland Bunch newsletter and Web site. See you then and keep in touch with our monthly newsletter on the Web. Marj Gangl Hap Writes: The weather was good, about 75 deg. A brief 15 min. shower did not affect the proceedings. We reserved a sheltered picnic area. Attendance was the lowest ever, about 25 paying adults. In years past, the attendance has been about 40 to 50. We did not cover our expenses this year and had to pass the hat for extra donations. The food that was brought for the "share table" was great. We formed a "picnic committee" to better organize next years event. Any suggestions for a better picnic and or volunteers are welcome. Thanks to all who attended. And to the volunteers that helped. 2. FAMILY HISTORY GRANTS IMMORTALITY? Recently I was exchanging email with my good friend and BB Croatian editor Frank Teklits. Frank and I go back a long way as alumni of the same university and members of the same university social club. We both were born and raised in the Lehigh Valley, met at the university and drifted apart soon after graduation. We came together again looking for family history via the Internet some ten years ago and Frank is one of our BB editors and a charter member. He was discussing the long and arduous task of digitizing the church records of his villages of origin, which made me think of the many years I've spent working as part of the BB. I sent him the following as a result: Dear Frank, relative to your most welcome update, I have some comments which I would like to share. As I approach my declining years, I frequently consider what my life has accomplished. I guess our children and their descendants are first, our help to others second and the fact that we have not gone out of our way to hurt anyone third. Attempting to live a good Christian life surely makes God smile and makes our existence worthwhile. You'll notice I say nothing about my working days in which, while I contributed to the public weal, I did little which will live after me. No Nobel prizes, notable discoveries, news media publicity, etc. In the final analysis, however, most of us leave very little behind, other than descendants and memories that soon dim after a few generations. Those of us, however, who leave behind some published work of value, are blessed in that we will cast a longer shadow. I remember, when my first piece was published in "Heritage Quest" magazine, I said facetiously to my wife, "now I'm immortal." Of the BB, you and I (and others) have done just that. Your translation of Dubrovitch's Croatian history and your translation and digitization of the St. Peterfa and St. Kathrein records and some of our other efforts will live on long after we both are gone. Not only have we done something of future value but we have accomplished something that might never have been done or have even been possible later (considering the condition of many original records.) A memorial to our ancestors and a family history source for our children yes, but a gift to future searchers as well. I almost feel as if someone is guiding our hands. Arduous yes, requiring much study and certainly time consuming, but what a great gift to others and to the world of genealogy (which more and more I consider a history of life.) I'm thankful that I've had the privilege to labor in this field and be associated with people like you. I feel we've added to the treasures of western civilization. We've not only achieved some firsts, we've shown the way for others. Years from now, people may wonder what motivated those great Burgenland Bunch people! 3. SZT PETERFA MARRIAGE RECORDS 1797-1895 (from Frank Teklits) (Please note the information in paragraph 2. The local FHC staff doesn't seem to have any objections to my making them an Eastern focal point for the digitized church records. My contact with the LDS accepted what I said w/o comment this past Tuesday. If the LDS or the FHC have any qualms or objections, I'll forward them to you for publication to the membership.) The 1797-1895 marriage records of the Church of Sts. Peter & Paul, Szentpeterfa, Hungary have been digitized & the process of donating these records to the LDS has been initiated. A volume and a data CD containing the marriage records, alphabetical & chronological sorts, village listing, & surname spelling variations, has been mailed to the LDS. Distribution of these digitized marriage records is planned for the LDS, the FHC in Doylestown, PA, the pastor of the Sts. Peter & Paul Church in Szentpeterfa, Hungary, & a set for the author. A set of these records has already been given to the Doylestown, PA, FHC with the intent of providing this FHC with an identical set of digitized records forwarded to the LDS so that anyone from the large ethnic population of the Northeast with an interest in the Szentpeterfa, Hungary, church records will have a significantly shorter distance to travel to gain access to these digitized church records. This intent has been made known to the LDS as well as the local FHC. Completion of this effort finalizes the processing of the marriage records of Szentpeterfa, Hungary, providing the LDS with contiguously digitized marriage records from 1683, currently contained in 3 separate volumes & CD's. The plan is to produce a set of volumes & data CD containing the integrated 1683-1934 marriage records, alphabetical & chronological sorts by year end. The year end release of an integrated set of records is mandated by the fact that the Szentpeterfa marriage records extend to 1934 which is within the current 70 year LDS limit of releasing vital statistics, thereby preventing these records to be made available prior to 2005. Efforts are currently underway to digitize the birth records of 1797-1895 of Szentpeterfa, Hungary. If all goes as planned, this effort should be completed sometime within the next 2 years. Completion of this effort would complete the 2nd of 3 goals established in 1999, when the initial effort was undertaken. The digitization of the 1797-1895 death records is the final goal of this digitization effort. I would be pleased to respond to any BB members who have specific questions concerning their Szentpeterfa heritage. (ED Note: Frank's digitization of these records was made possible by BB charter member John D. Lavendoski's visits to Austria and Hungary for the purpose of photocopying the church records available in his and Frank's family villages of origin. Their combined efforts are a first and pave the way for future researchers. How well I remember both of them asking me, some years ago, where they could find records pre and post LDS microfilm! They then took the ball and ran with it - in football terms, scoring a touchdown! Less you think this is an isolated case, check what BB associate editor Klaus Gerger is doing as well as the BB members who have websites listed on Anna Kresh's URL webpages.) 4. IN VEGAS STEHT EIN HOFFBRÄUHAUS (from Anna Kresh & Bob Strauch) In a message dated July 25, Bob Strauch writes to Anna Kresh: Bratwurst and blackjack! See www.HofbrauhausLasVegas.com and thanks to my friend Emma Schwab of Fullerton, a native of the Zips region of NE Slovakia who just happened to discover the Vegas Hofbräu during a recent trip there, for providing me with the info. Anna replies: Thanks for sending me this link. Luckily, we received your email just before we left. We just returned from a 16-day Vantage tour of the National Parks in the western U.S., starting in Bozeman, Montana, and ending with the last two days in Las Vegas. We have only praise for the Vantage tour -- indescribable beauty -- and the best tour director that we have ever had. Since we are not gamblers, we spent very little time (or money) in the casinos; e.g., I spent $50 and won back $31.40. However, we did dine at the Las Vegas Hofbräuhaus (see link), an authentic replica of the "Staatliches Hofbräuhaus in München." They had their First Annual Summer Asparagus Festival during August and had a long list of asparagus dishes in addition to the regular menu. The food was terrific - my husband had the "Hofbräuhaus Platter" (Smoked Pork Loin, Pork Roast, Smoked Sausage, Dark Beer Sauce, Sauerkraut and Mashed Potatoes) -- I had Jägerschnitzel (Pork Cutlet "Hunter Style" Topped with Mushroom Sauce, Bacon, and Onions, served with Spätzle, and Cranberries). Because the portions are very large, we shared an appetizer and dessert -- White Asparagus Spears with Hollandaise Sauce, and Eispalatschinken (Bavarian Crepe served with Strawberry Ice Cream and fresh Strawberries). Absolutely delicious!!! Of course, there was a German band starting at 5 p.m. The hall did not have the long wall banners that we saw at the original Hofbräuhaus in Munich, but the seating arrangement was similar and serves 360 people. In addition, they had a large, beautiful "outdoor" Biergarten, with smaller tables that was very nicely landscaped and decorated. The ceiling was actually a very high "balloon"-type roof that was almost an actual blue sky with clouds -- a truly stunning atmosphere. I really thought we were outdoors, but of course it was enclosed and air-conditioned. The temperature in Las Vegas was 111 degrees that day. Everyone offered the usual platitude "Yes, but it's a dry heat". I don't care - 111 degrees is 111 degrees. I would highly recommend that anyone visiting Las Vegas not miss this extraordinary dining spot at Paradise Road and Harmon Avenue, right in front of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino - 702-853-2337(BEER). You can get more specifics, including sample menus, at www.HofbrauhausLasVegas.com. 5. LEHIGH VALLEY ETHNIC EVENTS-SEPTEMBER (from Bob Strauch) Lehigh Valley Ethnic Events - September 2004 Sep. 5: Parish Picnic, St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church (610/262-2260), Ruch St. in Whitehall (Stiles), 12:30 - 10 PM. Music by the the Lizard Creek Band, 1-4 PM, and the Johnny Dee Orchestra, 5-9 PM. Sep. 9-12: Oktoberfest, Lehigh Sängerbund (610/966-3235), Main St. in Emmaus. Entertainment: (Thu.) The JoeS, 6:30-10 PM; (Fri.) The Jolly Bavarians, 7-10 PM; (Sat.) Vince Boettcher, 2-5 PM, and the Emil Schanta Band, 8-11 PM; (Sun.) Lehigh Sängerbund Singers, 12:30 - 2 PM, and the Pennsylvania Villagers, 2-5 PM. Also: (Fri) German Dinners served in the Hall, 5-8 PM; (Sat.) German Food Festival, 1-3 PM. Daily admission: $ 2.00/person. Sep. 12: "Farewell to Summer" Church Picnic, St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church (610/965-2877) in Limeport, 12-8 PM. Music by the Emil Schanta Band, 3-7 PM. Sep. 25: 2nd Raab Valley Reunion (Raabtaler Heimattreffen), St Joseph's Roman Catholic Church in Limeport. The event is open to everyone, not just to natives of the Raab Valley villages and their descendants. The deadline for reservations was August 15, however tickets may still be available. Sep. 26: Ethnic Food Festival, St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church (610/797-9733), E. Susquehanna St. in Allentown. 6. PERL FAMILY - KÖNIGSDORF -A RETURN VISIT In newsletter 129B-2, I published information concerning a Perl family who lived in Königsdorf. Member Al Drehmann had visited there a number of times and found very little. In my investigation I came to the conclusion that his family had a home, not in K-dorf, but in K-dorf Bergen nearby. Based on my suggestion, Al made another trip, this time with some success. Al writes, I want to thank you again for convincing me to visit K-dorf again. I was able to spare another day in Europe. Since a relative was out of town, my wife and I drove from the Czech Rep. through Schrems, Austria, down to the Autobahn, past Wien and right into Burgenland. The Kirchenwirt Gasthaus (Eltendorf near K-dorf) has its "ruhe tag" (closed for rest) on Monday, so we drove back to Fürstenfeld and stayed at the Hitzel, we had been there before, a nice Hotel and they speak English. On Tuesday we stopped at the Kirchenwirt and tried to contact the Pfarrer at the church in Eltendorf, but he was busy all day and we couldn't wait another day. Besides, Matthius said the Pfarrer couldn't read the Hungarian script. So we struck out on our own into K-dorf Bergen. We drove around looking at house numbers, seeking nos. 160 and 179. We found a 160, but it was obviously too new. The village is quite nice with many attractive homes and the woods and hills surrounding the area very beautiful. Spotting a woman tending her garden, we stopped and with my broken-down German explained that my grandmother was born here and did she know if the house numbers had been changed and if so where would we find 160 and 179. She spoke no English, but we were able to find that she too was a Perl and that her husband would be home soon and would take us to where the houses were. Frau Perl was quite excited about me also being a Perl and invited us into a large Gazebo in her yard that her husband had built. She got us something to drink and then called her daughter in Graz, who spoke English. The daughter confirmed what her mother had said. A young grandson soon appeared and he spoke some English. Frau Perl then brought out a copy of "Unsere Wurzeln" [Our Roots] (a book containing lists of K-dorf householders - reviewed in a previous BB newsletter, which started all this correspondence.) (continued in newsletter 131B) Newsletter continues as no. 131B.

THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 131B DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (Our 9th Year-20 Pages/4 Email Sections Issued monthly by G. J. Berghold) August 31, 2004 (c) 2004 G. J. Berghold - all rights reserved) This third section of our 4-section newsletter concerns: 1. Perl Family - Königsdorf - A Return Visit (continued from newsletter 131A) 2. Pamhagen - A WW-II Combat Story And Village Search 1. PERL FAMILY - KÖNIGSDORF - A RETURN VISIT (continued) When her husband returned home, we found him just as friendly as his wife, but no English. He walked with a cane and told us he was 86 years old. We drove under his direction to a grassy area - he pointed out a lush green slope and an area that appeared to have berry bushes growing. Up there was where Haus 160 used to be, it was torn down some years back. We couldn't make out exactly when, but it was when the last owner died, it was then razed. He then guided us on some smaller roads to a hill on the opposite side of the valley. We stopped at a new double home and just past this home was a slightly muddy trail leading up to an old building. This had been my grandmother's home. It is in terrible shape, but still standing. I walked through all the rooms and the attached barn, some flooring was still original. The view from the house was outstanding looking across the entire valley. We could even see where the other house (160) had been. Below this house (160) was a large apple orchard covered with the dark netting used to protect the apples from hail; it was quite visible from the other side of the valley. We then proceeded into K-dorf proper and bought a copy of "Unsere Wurzeln" at the town office. We then stopped at the cemetery next to the Catholic Church and took pictures of some graves with Perl names. K-dorf has changed quite a bit, with many new homes, some right outside the cemetery, others on the road into town from the E66. We took our helpful guide home, where his wife tried to convince us to stay for a meal. We demurred. Meeting this family made this a very memorable trip. Their kindness and friendship to utter stranglers was so heartwarming. The following morning we brought them a small gift before driving back to Frankfurt. While I didn't get any additional information on my family, I did get a copy of the book and the high point was to see where my great-great-grandparents lived and be able to walk in their home. I do have a question you can perhaps answer. The LDS is supposed to have the records of the Eltendorf Church. Do you know if those records are still in original form or have they been translated and are they available over the Web. I asked the LDS and they said they would reply soon, but that was two months ago. By the way, I was able to translate the first 3 pages of "Unsere Wurzeln" into English by running the pages through my scanner and then into a German-English translator. It didn't get all the words, but enough to understand the layout. A question, what is a "söllner"? Again thanks for your urging. Al Drehmann Reply: Al, when someone does what you just did, it makes my work worthwhile. Yes things change, but that good old Burgenland hospitality remains the same. Too bad the Eltendorf church has a new Pasto; one of these days the church is going to wake up and understand the need to make their records easier to use. I'm happy to hear that "Unsere Wurzeln" is still available. The LDS does have the Eltendorf records in original form (copied and sent to Budapest, 1828-1921). The microfilm numbers are: church 1828-1895, 0700737-739; civil 1895-1920, 0700435-439. These are Lutheran church records while the civil are both religions. They have not been translated and they are not available over the web. They must be ordered (little cost) at an LDS Family History Center (their website will tell you where they are located - just about everywhere. You should be able to read them - see our archives for help. A "söllner" is someone who owned or rented a house but had no land (a "hold") to farm. These people were artisans or worked as day laborers for other farmers or for the aristocratic holdings. 2. PAMHAGEN - A WW-II COMBAT STORY AND VILLAGE SEARCH (from Jim Hewitt, Margaret Kaiser, Bob Strauch) Jim Hewitt wrote: I am new to the list and just starting my search. I have an uncle who was shot down during WW-II south of Pamhagen, Austria/Hungary, in 1944. He is getting very old and health is starting to fail. While he was in custody in Pamhagen from June 26 to June 29, 1944, there was a newspaper article in the local paper about him. My uncle would like very much to find the article. How can I go about locating a copy of this article? Margaret Kaiser replied: I googled "Pamhagen" and came across the homepage of Konrad Unger of Wallern (next to Pamhagen). His site is also available in English: http://home.pages.at/kunger/. He has a collection of about 180 old fotos of Pamhagen, including one that looks like a plane wreck. Seems they were part of a historical exhibit in Pamhagen in 1992. Try contacting Konrad, who obviously is interested in history. He also has an essay about the emigration to America on his site. Or try the town hall: Gemeindeamt Pamhagen Hauptstrasse 7 A- 7152 Pamhagen, Austria E-mail: post@pamhagen.bgld.gv.at Mayor: Johann Kotzenmacher Jim, I also asked a pal (Bob Strauch) if he could help with your question (and Bob contacted Jim.) Jim responds: Thank you so much for your information. I obtained the lost air crew report from the US Air Force and from there I was able to get the grid coordinates of where my uncle was shot down. From that I was able to use a GPS to pinpoint where he was shot down. It is about 22 km Southwest of Pamhagen. From the map there are five small communities surrounding the location and they are all connected by a series of railroad tracks forming a triangle. To the northeast there are the towns of Kauvar [Kapuvár?] and Cecroa [Csorna?]. To the southeast there are the towns of Belen [Beled?] and Keyer [Kenyeri?] and to the southwest the town of Bukk [Bük?]. I sent my copies of the photos of Pamhagen to my uncle and he stated that it was a larger town then where he was held. He says that is was a very small community of farmers and peasants. Today I received two newspaper articles about downed bomber crewman from the Vienna National Library out of the "Ödenburger Zeitung" dated 27 June 1944, which is from Ödenburg (Sopron), Hungary. However, I cannot read German so I do not know what they say and I am looking for a translator (any suggestions?). Can you tell me where Ödenburg or Sopron is located in relationship to Pamhagen? Also I am sending you a condensed version of my uncle's description of the circumstances and area where he was captured. ..."Meanwhile I had a perfect landing in a meadow. I thought I was on some huge estate because every thing was neat as a pin and very beautiful. I ran as fast as I could for some dense trees and bushes I saw in the distance. I kept running until exhaustion overcame me and took cover under some of the thick bushes. I expected to be found at any time so decided to move on. I knew I was about nine hundred miles from the front lines and that they were somewhere to the south. I started walking through the forest until I came upon some fields and could hear people who were working there. It began to get dark so I found a tree with a suitable trunk to sleep in where no one could see me, and spent the night there. The next morning I noticed a cart trail and then I heard someone coming. As I watched I could see that it was an ox cart full of beets driven by a very old man with a long white beard. He was smoking a long clay pipe, the bowl of which was resting on his lap. I watched him go back and forth for a good part of the day as I tried to figure out what to do. I considered my options and then decided to approach the old man. I stepped out from the bushes and confronted him. He looked horrified and as he frantically reached for his whip his pipe broke into pieces and he began to flog the oxen into a run. As he disappeared down the trail I knew it would just be a matter of time before I would be captured. A few hours later about eighty people from the little town, armed with pitchforks, hoes and clubs came after me, I put my hands high above my head while they all surrounded me. At first it looked like I was in for a rough time, they kept saying words that sounded like "are you a German" in angry voices. I then said American! And their whole attitude changed. They broke out in smiles, gave me water and food, and motioned, without forcing me, to go with them. Once into the town I was taken to what looked like a town meeting hall. It was a large room with windows all around it. Soon a big black limousine pulled up and a large, very official looking man, dressed in an old-fashioned politician type suit came in. His henchmen made me stand in the middle of the room and the 'official', in broken English, began asking me questions. He demanded I strip off all of my clothes. I could see that they intended to force me if I objected, so I took everything off down to my shorts. The whole town, men, women and children, had their faces glued to the windows"... ..."I was led to the town prison and placed in a cell. The prison was a family run place with about 10 cells down the hall from the family home. The room had nothing in it except a chamber pot. There was a barred window at one end overlooking a courtyard. The heavy door was locked and had a peephole in it, which was extensively used all night. After about three days, they took me to a bigger prison in another town. The two guards were not Germans; they were dressed in strange uniforms and wore hats that had brightly colored feathers sticking out at the top. Our transportation was an ox cart and took most of the day to get to our destination. The new prison was run in a more military fashion and I was interrogated regularly. My recollection is that my stay there was only a few days. These people, again, did not seem to be German soldiers but rather Hungarian or Austrian police, or some sort of military type. After a few days, four guards, with rifles, came for me. I was then marched to the rail station. At the rail station I was turned over to a single guard who purchased a ticket for both of us. Once on the train, word quickly spread about my presence and soon a woman appeared who spoke perfect English. The car we were riding in filled up with people and the woman asked me many questions, interpreting and conveying the answers to the crowd. The trip lasted about 5 hours ending at a Vienna train station"... Bob Strauch replies: Hi Jim, I'm the pal that Margaret asked to help. I checked some detailed maps I have of the Sopron area and have located the triangle. There are actually quite a few villages within that triangle and there's no way of telling which is the one we're looking for. Maybe the articles from the Ödenburger Zeitung will pinpoint the location. Send me the articles and I'll translate them. Jim responds: Attached is a copy of the GPS map of the location where Sam bailed out. The following statement may be helpful as well: ..."Somehow, although I was the lightest man on the crew, I had been issued a 25-foot chute. Also, though I didn't know it at the time, I had been the first to jump. These two factors caused me to drift far away from the rest of the crew, whom I found out later, were captured right away by townspeople. It seems our airplane crashed into their town which made them furious and they gave the crew a severe beating."... Bob replies: Here are the translated articles and a map. The article of June 27th: 2 USA-Bombers Crash in Sopron County, 10 enemy pilots captured. As reported, there was an air raid yesterday in the city and county of Sopron. The Hungarian defense went into action and was successful. As published, 2 USA-bombers crashed near the towns of Csapod and Csepreg. 2 enemy pilots were killed. 10 enemy pilots saved themselves by parachuting. They were captured near the villages of Esterháza, Iván and Csapod by police, along with the assistance of villagers. 2 villagers were injured by enemy paratroopers and had to be taken to Kapuvár hospital. The article of June 28th: Aerial Combat in the Airspace of Sopron MTI reports from Lövö: Aerial combat took place yesterday morning in the airspace of Sopron County. A 4-engine bomber crashed within the boundaries of Bük and was still burning at midday in the field. The enemy units threw tinfoil ribbons and used Brandplättchen (?) to start fires, which were extinguished. A bomber crashed in the forest of Röjtök [Röjtökmuzsaj], while several bombers crashed within the boundaries of Köszeg. Between Újkér and Felsöszopor [now part of Újkér], crews of damaged crafts parachuted to the ground. 3 of them have already been captured. Message from Austrian National Library accompanying the newspaper articles: Dear Mr. Hewitt, in the "Ödenburger Zeitung" we located two articles about American bomber crewmen who were shot down. You find the copies of these articles in the attachment. Pamhagen is in the surroundings of Ödenburg (Hungary). Ödenburg was the former name of Sopron. In the issues from June 27th- 30th of the "Völkischer Beobachter" we could not trace any relevant article. For further information see http://www.onb.ac.at/ev/use/awi/awi_eng.htm#comresearch. With kindest regards, Mag. Gerda Koller, Austrian National Library, Research Department. Josefsplatz 1, 1015 Wien Mail: Gerda.Koller@onb.ac.at http://www.onb.ac.at And finally: Hi Bob, Thanks you all your assistance. It appears that my uncle bailed our near Csepreg and Csapod. The news article says some crewmen were captured in Esterháza, Iván and Csapod. My uncle says it was a small village of poor beet farmers. According to the first newspaper article, "2 USA-bombers crashed near the towns of Csapod and Csepreg." Csapod is located at Latitude 47.51N and Longitude 16.91 E. Csepreg is located at Latitude 47.4 and longitude 16.71E. My uncle bailed out at Latitude 47.30N and Longitude 16.91 E. When he landed he traveled south to the village he was captured at. He states that the villagers were poor beet farmers. Csapod appears to be located to the north east of Csepreg. Where are Esterháza and Iván in relation to Csapod and Csepreg? I've found some on-line maps of western Sopron County. More info from Bob: Csepreg has a population of 3500. Pusztacsalád 300. Csapod 650. Iván 1000. SE of Iván are 3 small villages: Csér 50, Csáfordjánosfa 250, and Répceszemere 270. To the SE of Pusztacsalád seems to be a small settlement called Erdölakmajor. Might just be a cluster of houses, not an independent settlement. "Major" means dairy farm. Esterháza is now called Fertöszentmiklos and lies to the NE of Csapod on the main rail line Sopron-Györ. (ED Note: This was a project; a lengthy thread involving a number of people. My apologies if I garbled the sequence. I doubt if we can find another WW-II Burgenland story like this.) Newsletter continues as no. 131C.

THE BURGENLAND BUNCH NEWS - No. 131C DEDICATED TO AUSTRIAN-HUNGARIAN BURGENLAND FAMILY HISTORY (Our 9th Year-20 Pages/4 Email Sections Issued monthly by G. J. Berghold) August 31, 2004 (c) 2004 G. J. Berghold - all rights reserved) This fourth section of our 4-section newsletter concerns: 1. Strem - Garger Family 2. Hungarians In Chicago - A Book Review by Joe Jarfas 1.STREM - GARGER FAMILY In a message dated 6/2/04, F. Garger writes: I very much enjoy receiving the Burgenland Newsletter. I wonder if you have any information on the GARGER family from Strem by Güssing. I know nothing of where the family originated. I believe that these German-speaking people arrived in present day Burgenland in the 1700's. Your insight on this would be appreciated. Reply: Strem is a village in the southern Burgenland district of Güssing and has quite a history. It was first mentioned in 1257 as "via regia." Today it is a community (Gemeinde) composed of the villages of Strem, Steinfürt, Deutsch Ehrensdorf and Sumetendorf - population 950 (Strem alone 574). In 1457, the population consisted of mostly Slavic peoples (Wends) and at one time there was a moated castle (Wasserburg) on a slight rise near the village. A mill was built in 1544 and market rights were granted in 1647. Prior to 1852, when the present church was built, the population used the church in nearby Heiligenbrunn. Many inhabitants emigrated to the US and Canada - population in 1900 was 795 dropping to 688 in 1923. Like other villages in the Burgenland, it would have suffered and been burned during the Hungarian wars of 1602 (Bocksky) and the Turkish wars during the later part of the 1600's. Its proximity to Mogersdorf (Battle of St. Gotthard) meant it was in the path of both Turkish incursion and excursion. We are fairly certain German-speaking colonists from Swabia, Franconia, Styria and Lower Austria replaced the inhabitants who perished during these wars and the plagues which followed. Origin of German-speakers in southern Burgenland is very cloudy since German-speakers have been coming to this region since the 11th century. My sources are silent re the origin of the name Garger, but it may be a variant of Gerger, many of which are found in the district of Güssing. Our own assoc. editor Klaus Gerger is an example. There are a number (11) of Garger families still living in Strem. I also find one in Heiligenbrunn and perhaps in nearby villages. In 1893, one Lorenz Garger left Strem for the US; my source does not mention his destination. A Karl Garger (1880-1953) was Bürgermeister of Strem from 1921-1938. Josef Garger (1899-1984, landwirt or farmer with property) was Bürgermeister from 1950-54. A history of Heiligenbrunn (source Leser) tells me a Garger (no first name given) was one of the Bauernfamilien (farmer families) of this village in 1750, so you know the family name was in the region at least that early, possibly earlier. According to the history of Heiligenbrunn, in 1723 the Hungarian Reichstag (prodded by the Austrian crown) issued a call for settlers to fill the Hungarian villages decimated by war. Many came to the Heiligenbrunn region from Swabia but also some came from the Rheinland, Westfalia, Braunschweig and elsewhere. Some also came from Neudau in Styria. If I were you, I'd search the LDS microfilm 1828-1896-1921 for Strem as well as Heiligenkreuz. Starting with what you know you should be able to progress back in time at least 5 generations. 2. HUNGARIANS IN CHICAGO -(book review by Joe Jarfas courtesy Margaret Kaiser) (ED Note: Prior to 1921, all families who have origins in the Burgenland would have been Hungarians and thus part of the statistics quoted - an interesting study.) Joe writes: Back in February, Greg Chubak offered a 'free' book to anybody who would be willing to provide a(n English) summary. I volunteered - and the book arrived on 10 July. Beside all my other 'work,' I'm trying to find time to read it. Read it once but, since it is not the easiest book I ever read, have to read it again!:-) Author: Zoltán Fejös Title: A chicagói magyarok két nemzedéke 1890-1940 (Az etnikai örökség megörzése és változása) {Two generations of Hungarians in Chicago 1890-1940 [Preservation and Transformation of an Ethnic Heritage]} Publisher: Közép-Európa Intézet, Budapest, 1993 ISSN: 1216-853X ISBN: 963 8105 135 299 pages with a 9 page English summary at the end + English index. The author is the director of the Museum of Ethnography in Budapest; http://www.neprajz.hu/english/index2.html As the subtitle suggests the main emphasis in the book was to research and describe the ethnic background of the actual 'first' emigrants and compare it with that of the second. As a historian and ethnographer the author had to do original research for this project since not much previous publication was available in this respect. He also did original interviews and recordings with some Chicago settlers and their descendants, here as well as in Hungary. His data collection methods included pouring over census records, visiting libraries, collecting local newspaper, organizational and church records - and recording it all in a dBASE program. Some family generations were recorded into Brother's Keeper (shareware) program. He has extensive bibliography, place and name lists. I did not obtain permission to make copy of them therefore I can not publish them here. But for anybody interested I can copy them and send them to individuals. The author emphasizes that the Chicago Hungarians did not constitute a homogenous group even though many of them congregated in five pockets in the huge expanse of Chicago proper (mainly due to employment opportunities: South Chicago, Burnside, West Pullman, West Side and North Side [Lincoln Park]). Also points out that all the Hungarians constituted less than 1% of the total population of Chicago: in 1870 there were 159; in 1880 300; in 1890 1,841 (this includes 23 locally born or second generation); in 1900 7,463 (2,517); in 1910 37,990 (9,052); in 1920 70,209 (44,103; this might include some Czech population); in 1930 30,427 (15,090; this reflects emigrants from past Trianon Hungary only, therefore it does not include (ethnic) Hungarians from neighboring countries); in 1940 16,020; It is pointed out with these statistics that prior to WW-I the numbers do not reflect (break out) all the other ethnic groups who emigrated from the Hungarian Kingdom: Germans, Slovaks, Croats, Serbs, Ruthenians, etc. (also it is not known how many of these ethnic groups commanded the Hungarian language). Some statistics show 15,341 emigrants between 1898 and 1902 designating Illinois as destination, but from these only 9.8% were (ethnic) Hungarians; the rest: 34.2% Slovak, 2.2% Ruthenians and 53.8% Croat. Also Illinois was only the fifth most 'desired' destination; between 1899 and 1910 only 4% selected this state, the rest: 32% PA, 19% NY, 16% OH and 15% NJ. He gathered some other numbers: since the 1920 Census requested language information, he shows that from 7,676 second generation persons whose 'home' language was Hungarian, 6881 had both parents born in Hungary; 569 had only the father and 228 had only the mother. Even in the 1940 Census he found 220 Hungarian 'home' language speakers whose parents were born in the US already. He also mentions locations close to Chicago where Hungarians established 'foothold': Aurora, Elgin, Joliet; in Indiana: East Chicago, Whiting, Hammond and Gary. Cites some statistics from the 1920 Census: East Chicago had 3,701 Hungarians; Hammond 678; Gary 1,240. According to him East Chicago was the most 'hungaricized' of communities: from the city's total foreign language speaking population Hungarians constituted 13%. After the Poles (34.4%) Hungarian was the second most 'populous' language spoken there. He goes and breaks down by Hungarian county origin the emigrants who settled in Chicago, but derives this information from 1128 marriage records he collected between 1894-1920 from church records: also mentions places within counties where more than 5 people originated. The list is long, but here are some data: County Abaúj 282 persons (25% of the total); within this county from Nagyida came 28, Göncruszka 25, etc. County Szabolcs 175 persons (16%); towns: Nyíregyháza 24, Tiszabercel 19, etc. County Máramaros 62 persons (5%); from Visk 59. County Zemplén 56 persons (5%). County Borsod 38 persons; Miskolc 6. County Gömör 37 persons; Szilice 34. County Bereg 34 persons. County Vas 31 persons. County Szatmár 30 persons. County Sopron 27 persons. County Udvarhely 27 persons. County Pest 26 persons; Budapest 16. There are of course more, but these are the most populous counties and cities where people originated. The difficulty I mentioned at the start of reading this book was due to the fact that the author used modern anthropological language for describing his ethnic research results. This made his sentence structure sometimes convoluted and expressions strange (for my taste and education level). Did not have to use a dictionary too often, but had to read sentences (and whole paragraphs) a few times to understand his meaning. But the gist of all this is what all of you know: Unless parents made strenuous efforts to educate their children (the second generation in this book) in their language and ethnic background the second generation preferred to use English - at home as well as on the playground and social circles. Therefore many organizations, churches, etc. had to convert to English eventually, to hold on to the second generation. The home environment was good enough to learn 'kitchen' Hungarian, but they had to be sent to schools for the Hungarian language to learn how to read and write - and learn about Hungarian culture, history and geography. And many people were too poor to afford the weekend and summer schools in churches and organizations, because as opposed to the public schools, which were free, in these schools they had to pay ... despite the fact that even the Hungarian government (and Hungarian churches) supported them by sending books and teaching material to them. He goes into great detail how - by community effort - they built their churches and community houses; what customs they practiced from the old country; and how divided they were (due to religious beliefs, educational levels and political views) about establishing a larger Chicago community organization. There were of course Hungarian picnics and dances; lots of 'saloons' were owned by Hungarians where people congregated and held meetings. The 'north' side group was though the most educated and schooled (normally) city folk (dr.'s, lawyers, bankers, trades people), while the 'south' side places contained the village folk: least educated, no trade training, just plain factory workers; this division already created a chasm between them. And when it came to religion there were as many divisions if not more: the few reformed (Lutheran and Calvinist) churches were divided between three supervisory church groups! One accepted the Hungarian Reformed Church for supervision, the others did not. They belonged to the American Reformed Church organization and one other to some European Church group. The first World War created a lot of problems for most of them, since many not intended to stay here but wanted to save some money and go back to the old country. Which a few did. But the general mistrust grew in the American population at that time against all foreigners and that's why some restrictions were placed on immigration. Many had to fight against the bigotry and hatred prevalent at that time (and some to this day). But this was the time when the second generation made every effort to fit into American society better and some of them were even shameful of their immigrant parents; therefore many of them moved away from the old homestead to relinquish all connections with them. Usually the grand children were the ones who started to search, and be proud, of their origins - and many of you belong to them. The author mentions the fact that many other aspects of research is missing in his work: no time and effort was put into finding out their working conditions, labor organizations and living conditions; he just did not have the time and support for it. But he makes rather belittling remarks about the 'primitive frame' houses many families were living in at the time, not realizing that many many people still live in those!:-) Of course they are better constructed nowadays and better insulated, but still: he spent only a year in this country, two semesters in Bloomington at Indiana University and some time in Chicago. He started his research in 1984; the book is the result of many years of work. All in all the book is a pioneering work in ethnic studies of a small number of Hungarians - in the 'huge' city of Chicago. He describes his first impressions when he arrived there and makes a comparison which 'shocked' me: the size of the city, he says, compares to almost half of Transdanubia, the part of Hungary west of the Danube and the border of Austria. Since I come from there - and I also visited Chicago a few times - I never conceived of this size comparison!:-) Joe Equinunk, PA - USA jjarfas@ezaccess.net END OF NEWSLETTER BURGENLAND BUNCH STAFF (USA residents unless designated otherwise) Coordinator & Editor Newsletter (Gerald Berghold) Burgenland Editor (Albert Schuch; Austria) Home Page Editor (Hap Anderson) Internet/URL Editor (Anna Tanczos Kresh) Contributing Editors: Austro/Hungarian Research (Fritz Königshofer) Burgenland Co-Editor (Klaus Gerger, Austria) Burgenland Lake Corner Research (Dale Knebel) Chicago Burgenland Enclave (Tom Glatz) Croatian Burgenland (Frank Teklits) Home Page village lists (Bill Rudy) Home Page surname lists (Tom Steichen) Home Page membership list (Hannes Graf, Austria) Judaic Burgenland (Maureen Tighe-Brown) Lehigh Valley Burgenland Enclave (Robert Strauch) Szt. 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